Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2025-20337 is a critical Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC flaw that can let an unauthenticated remote attacker run code as root. Because Cisco ISE often supports identity and network access decisions, compromise could undermine security controls across an organization.
Executive priority
Emergency priority. This is unauthenticated remote code execution as root on identity infrastructure, with confirmed KEV listing. Leadership should require rapid inventory, remediation tracking, and risk acceptance only for explicitly documented exceptions.
Technical view
The flaw is in a specific Cisco ISE API and stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied input, mapped to CWE-74. Cisco rates it CVSS 10.0: network reachable, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, scope changed, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Likely exposure includes Cisco ISE Software 3.3 and 3.4 releases and Cisco ISE-PIC 3.1 through 3.4 listed in the source bundle. Risk is highest where the affected API is reachable from untrusted or broad internal networks.
Exploitation context
CISA KEV status indicates known exploitation. The provided sources do not include exploit mechanics, public exploit code, indicators, or campaign details, so exploitation should be treated as confirmed but operational context remains incomplete.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports unauthenticated remote root code execution through a specific API, but the bundle does not provide exploit details, fixed version mapping, or detection indicators. Validate against Cisco’s advisory and avoid assumptions beyond the listed products and versions.
Mitigation direction
- Immediately review Cisco advisory guidance for fixed releases and required upgrade paths.
- Prioritize affected Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC systems listed in inventory.
- Restrict access to Cisco ISE management and API surfaces to trusted networks.
- Monitor vendor and CISA guidance for updated remediation and detection information.
- Treat internet-exposed or broadly reachable systems as emergency remediation candidates.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC versions across production and disaster recovery environments.
- Compare installed versions against the affected releases named in Cisco and CVE sources.
- Confirm whether CISA KEV tracking applies to any in-scope systems.
- Review logs for suspicious unauthenticated API activity without attempting exploitation.
- Document compensating controls if immediate upgrade is not possible.
Public sources used
Michael Williams reviewed this cited source version on .
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-74: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2025-20337 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 10 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- Yes
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CISA KEV status
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H3.96Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
10CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- cisco-sa-ise-unauth-rce-ZAd2GnJ6CVE reference
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2025-20337CVE reference · government-resource
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.